Museum Glass Warning

Doug Gemmell

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Jun 17, 2002
Posts
2,705
Loc
Everett, WA
In the last two days, we've ruined four pieces of 30 X 40 museum glass before we figured out what was going on. We scored the wrong side!

The (new?) printing on this glass is very mis-leading. The scoring instructions are printed so that you read it through the glass rather than on top of the glass. It still has the same wording but apparently you now have to reverse your thinking and don't turn it over to cut it when you are reading the instructions. If you can read "Score opposite side", don't turn it over! We didn't think to try the scratch test until after the 4th piece. Whoops! I left a message with the rep.....it will be interesting to hear what he says.
 
Just got a box in will have to look closely at it. Sounds like these are not new instructions but like they were printed on the wrong side of the glass if I understand you.
If you can read "Score opposite side", don't turn it over! and you score the side facing you, then you are not scoring the opposite side, are you?
 
Have gone thru several boxes of Museum this week ... all were printed the normal way. Perhaps your box was an anomaly. It will indeed be interesting to hear what your rep says.
 
I opened a glass of conservation glass and there was no writing on it at all. I checked it closely thinking maybe it was regular glass that was put in the wrong box but could see the wavy coating so knew it was conservation. Can anyone tell which side has the coating if there is no writing?
 
Do the "scratch test". Using a sharp implement such as the corner of a razor blade, try to scratch the surface near the edge that will be hidden by the rabbet. The side with the coating will drag and produce a slight scratch. The uncoated side will drag less and will not produce a scratch.
 
"Just got a box in will have to look closely at it. Sounds like these are not new instructions but like they were printed on the wrong side of the glass if I understand you."

I'm not sure how they print the information but it would seem that it's an intentional thing because it is readable through the glass. Imagine it sitting on a table...the printing is on the bottom and you can read it from the top. It is normally printed on the top and you can read it from the top. I hope that makes sense. If it were simply printed on the wrong side it would be less puzzling!
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"If you can read "Score opposite side", don't turn it over! and you score the side facing you, then you are not scoring the opposite side, are you?"

Well, it is opposite the side the printing is on.
Maybe that's the twisted logic they're using.
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I'm getting a headache.
 
My all-time favorite coated glass screen print said "East Side."

Let's see: The sun comes up in the east, so that would be the side with the UV coating, unless you're framing late in the day . . .
 
Because I learned how to read by setting type for my mother....my mind still sees print whether it is backwards or forwards and just reads it...

Hard to explain... but I have found that unless I am concentrating very closely, I don't know if the printing is correct or the "opposite side"....

Yeah, and you thought it was confusing enough already... welcome to my world.

I didn't turn books right side up untill about the 5th grade and already reading over 1,500 wpm.
 
I am somewhat dyslexic, and both sides of the UVF message read the same to me. My dad started life as a printer, so maybe that printer's ink in my blood is to blame! We had an electric stove once that had pictures next to each knob illustrating which burner it controlled. Half the time the picture appeared to me to be leaning away, and the other time it looked to be leaning toward me. I can't TELL you how often I turned on the wrong burner. And don't EVER shout, "Turn left! Turn left!" when I am driving. I will go one way just as often as the other. If I have time I can reason it out, but spur-of-the-moment? Can't do it. So I really have to concentrate on the printing on the UVF glass for the same reason. I like the stickers a lot better....
 
Here's a trick I have learned.

They put the glass in the box facing the back of the box. (the part that is taped together- and even if it weren't, when I pull the first piece out I can see which side it's on) When I line up my glass boxes, I make it so that when I pull out the glass, the uv side is automatically facing away from me.
 
Maybe it is just me, but if the writing is on the wrong side, I'd have them replace the whole box, ruined pieces & leftovers too.

These things are not cheap and if they made a mistake, well, tough.

I am getting pretty unforgiving with my suppliers; I used to overlook a damaged piece from lengths, but not anymore.

Lousy quality control will lead to more of the same if no one says anything.
 
Honestly though...I put up a piece of 1x on my wall cutter so that when I cut the glass, even if it's on the wrong side, there won't be any scratches. I have never had a piece of glass ruined by cutting it on the wrong side, only ruined my cutter wheels.
 
The problem is you would only be scoring the coating, not the lite itself, so when you try to snap it off.....watch out!
:eek: Rick
 
Belinda--I did that too in our shop, I would also take a sharpie and mark an arrow on the box pointing in the direction to stand so that the glass was in the right direction, that way I didn't have to worry about which way the box was put in the storage bin

Elsa
 
Maybe I score harder than most or something, I'ver seriously never had a problem with it.

Besides- Museum glass is coated on both sides (granted it's a different coating, but it's a coating nonetheless)

If only there were some way to make it so that the coating was somehow inside the glass, mixed with the silica...

*starts inventing*
 
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